COIMBATORE: A non-functional two-wheeler bearing the registration number TN 37 AF 4170 has accumulated 249 pending traffic challans to the tune of more than Rs 3 lakh on the official Parivahan portal.A cross-check of the govt portal revealed a systemic breakdown between 2019 and May 2026. Dozens of traffic violation fines belonging to completely different vehicles were systematically dumped on this single, non-operational bike. The offences, such as riding motorcycles without helmet, rash driving, triple riding, pillion rider without helmet and even drunk driving cases, were transferred to this particular vehicle.The blunder exposes severe flaws in the police’s e-challan verification process. In several cases, uploaded evidence photos clearly capture other motorcycles committing offences such as “no parking,” yet the fines were slapped on the owners of uninvolved vehicles.B Annammal of Podanur shared her ordeal after receiving a Rs 500 fine. “When I downloaded the challan, my scooter was nowhere in the frame; a completely different bike was parked in the restricted zone,” she said. “The personnel mistyped my registration number, leaving me penalised for a crime I never committed while the actual violator walked away scot-free.”When contacted, Coimbatore city police commissioner N Kannan stated that he was unaware of the issue but promised a thorough inquiry. “We need to determine if this stems from a technical glitch or human error,” Kannan said. “If it is a man-made error, we will investigate whether it was done knowingly or unknowingly. Severe action will be taken if any malpractices are uncovered.”S S Maheswaran, deputy commissioner of police (traffic), Coimbatore city, stated that they would verify with the technical team and try to resolve the issue.
